Students may not be allowed to graduate if they have outstanding library fines

75 per cent of UK universities restrict students from graduating if they have any outstanding debts to their institution, according to government statistics.

Research from the Office for Fair Trading (OFT) has revealed that three in every four universities employ special terms and conditions which prevent students from graduating or progressing to the next academic year, if they owe the university non-tuition fee debts.

These debts can be either university accommodation fees or library fines.

The research from the OFT said the “terms and practices considered in the investigation may be open to challenge as potentially unfair and/or otherwise unlawful.”

The University of Sheffield is one of many universities that prohibit students from graduating if they have outstanding library fines.
Their website states that: “Any student who has outstanding debts to the University under the following headings [one of which was overdue library books and fines] will have their degree withheld and will not be eligible to attend a degree ceremony.”

The OFT report suggests that this kind of sanction is not fair in the context that it is being given.

“The OFT is not suggesting that students should be absolved of non-tuition fee debts that are legitimately owed to the university, but that students should not be subject to academic sanctions which may be considered disproportionate.”

The University of Warwick only prevent students from graduating under particular circumstances.

Peter Dunn, head of communications at the University, told the Boar: “Only very large non-tuition fees debts would lead us to prevent graduation. All other debts are pursued by the normal legal processes.”

Temi Legbe, a first-year Sociology student, who has £6.80 worth of library fines, told the Boar: “I don’t believe that such a small fine should prohibit any student from being able to graduate after all their hard work to reach that point in their academic journey.”

The OFT, who have powers to stop universities treating students unfairly, has written to 170 universities across the UK. These universities have been urged to review their practices.